Raise Your Voice for AYA Cancer

ANDREW MCMAHON’S DEAR JACK FOUNDATION LAUNCHES THE 100K CHALLENGE FOR THE SECOND YEAR RUNNING

Celebrating 12 years cancer-free DJF founder Andrew McMahon continues initiative of inviting fans to raise their voice on behalf of young adults diagnosed with cancer.

The Dear Jack Foundation (DJF), the non-profit organization that advocates for and supports initiatives that directly benefit adolescents and young adults (AYA) diagnosed with cancer, and founder Andrew McMahon are launching the second annual “100k Challenge” – a fundraising campaign designated to raise $100,000 for young adults, ages 18-39, diagnosed with cancer. In 2016 the peer-based campaign raised over $181,000 for Dear Jack Foundation’s programs and aims to surpass this mark in 2017.

The 100K Challenge, open until November 11, 2017 on DearJackFoundation.org/GetInvolved, intends to raise awareness on behalf of the 72,000 AYA patients in the United States who are diagnosed with cancer every year. Founded by McMahon in 2006, last year the Dear Jack Foundation transitioned its focus towards its two new “impact now” programs, LifeList and Breath Now – providing hope and guidance to AYA patients and survivors at a time when they need it most. Funds raised from the 100k Challenge campaign will provide direct support to the AYA cancer patients DJF serves and double the patient reach of its two programs. While many consider ages 18-39 to be the most formative years of a person’s life, the young adult cancer population suffers a well-documented deficit in research and attention from the cancer community. This shortfall has lead to a 30-year stagnation in the improvement of AYA survival rates compared to all other age demographics.

McMahon experienced this first hand at 22, when he was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia during the peak of his career as the lead singer of the alternative band Jack’s Mannequin. August 2017 marks the 12-year anniversary of the stem cell transplant that saved his life and since then he has dedicated himself to helping adolescents and young adults suffering from this illness. Currently, McMahon is using the success of his Gold certified single, “Cecilia in the Satellite,” from his eponymous album Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness and new album release Zombies on Broadway to help draw awareness to this massive effort. Cecilia and the Satellite is an ode to his 3-year old daughter Cecilia, a child he feared he wouldn’t be able to have after his diagnosis.

McMahon states, ”The adolescent and young adult cancer community has so much to offer this world. We are ready for the world to meet us on our journeys through treatment, recovery, and survival. It was through my treatment at age 22 when I realized the lack of resources available for this age demographic. This is what the 100K Challenge Campaign addressesawareness of the issues young adults face when diagnosed with cancer and also support of Dear Jack Foundation’s impact now programs, LifeList and Breathe Now. With your help we can make it possible to provide Dear Jack Foundation program resources to more patients and survivors in the years to come.”

The campaign’s donations are driven by peer-to-peer fundraising and individual donors. Individuals or teams up to four people who raise a minimum of $5,000 will be entered to win the grand prize. The grand prize is for the sweepstakes winner, plus three guests to have a private dinner with Andrew McMahon and select band members the weekend of McMahon’s annual 11/11 Dear Jack Benefit show in 2018, four tickets to the sought after 11/11/2018 benefit concert and VIP Night, plus other fun prizes. Any donor who contributes $100 or more to the campaign will receive a signed thank you note from Andrew McMahon and a DJF collectors pin set. More information about the campaign and fundraising details can be found by visiting www.dearjackfoundation.org/getinvolved.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:
• Donate on DearJackFoundation.org/Donate – every dollar counts
• Start your own peer-to-peer fundraiser at www.dearjackfoundation.org/getinvolved for a chance to win dinner with Andrew McMahon and show tickets to McMahon’s annual Dear Jack benefit show on 11/11/2018 and VIP Night on 11/10/2018.
• Spread the word with the hashtag, #DearJack100kChallenge
• Lend your social media presence by sharing the following Dear
Jack Foundation awareness videos:

For more than a decade, the Dear Jack Foundation has been tending to the AYA community, successfully raising over 1 million dollars for this group. Through its own programs LifeList and Breathe Now DJF brings hope and guidance to young adults from treatment through survivorship and has worked hand in hand with philanthropic organizations to advocate on behalf of this underserved community. Efforts have funded college scholarships for young adult cancer survivors, added more than 5,000 new names to the bone marrow registry, supported one of the first AYA medical fellowship programs at USC Norris Cancer Center and provided AYA cancer patients and survivors with opportunities to attend adventure camps with their peers, just to name a few.

The Dear Jack Foundation is a 501(c)(3) Charitable Organization. Tax ID 45-2219082. All donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.